The present invention relates to an apparatus for cutting food, such as meat, and more particularly bacon and sausage. The apparatus comprises a frame having forwardly extending holding flanges. Front and rear guides, supported by the frame in turn, support an array of lattice knives which are both movable in the guide frames perpendicularly to one another and to the feed direction of the material to be cut.
German Pat. No. 29 23 003 teaches a food cutting machine having a first guide secured to a holding frame. The holding frame is connected to the cutting machine by means of a second guide, which may be locked to the holding frame. The second guide has a lug engaged in a groove on one side on the inside of the holding frame. On the Opposite side the second guide has a pin slidable in place transversely to the feed direction. The pin passes through the holding frame and the first guide frame. A disadvantage of the device of German Pat. No. 29 23 003 is that the guide frames are not clamped together under pressure. As a result the material to be cut can escape through gaps between the individual parts, particularly between the first and the second guide. The residue of the material to be cut and other dirt can collect in these gaps and can be a breeding ground for unwanted bacteria and other disease carrying organisms. For this reason the apparatus of German Pat. No. 29 23 003 must be frequently cleaned.
German unexamined patent specification No. OS 29 40 090 teaches an apparatus for food cutting having two guide frames pressed together against a fixed part of the machine by a clamping bolt. The clamping bolt is part of an eccentric clamping arrangement in which plate springs provide the contact pressure force. Such a clamping arrangement can be relatively expensive. The elasticity of the plate springs permits relative movement between the two guide frames. In addition, if the pressure forcing the material through the knives is greater than the spring pressure clamping the guide frames together, the material escapes laterally. Furthermore, clamping with the four bolts described in No. OS 29 40 090 can be time consuming, which, because the lattice knives must be frequently clamped, becomes very inefficient.
Therefore, an object of the subject invention is an apparatus in which the individual parts of the cutting apparatus can in a simple and rapid manner be clamped securely so that material to be cut cannot escape, laterally or otherwise, between the individual parts.